So its not worth it for me, but I can still save!

[Photonfanatic]

It may not be worth it for me to go solar, so now I'm going to focus on the list. What list? The long list of things that a person can do, to help them use less electricity. I've already made sure all my appliances are energy star, and I've already replaced all my light bulbs with compact florescent. But what else remains? I'd like to see a list of things, that way I can do them all and check them off one by one as I accomplish them. Here's what I have so far:


1. Attic foil, or radiant barrier

2. New energy efficient windows

3. Going around the inside and outside of the house and sealing off all cracks that let air out. (but with what? Spray foam? Silicon?)

4. More vents under the roof overhang, outside the house. Where the roof hangs over the walls, some people put little vents in there. Does this really help?

5 ???


I'd like to see other things that I can do.

[SunEagle]

It may not be worth it for me to go solar, so now I'm going to focus on the list. What list? The long list of things that a person can do, to help them use less electricity. I've already made sure all my appliances are energy star, and I've already replaced all my light bulbs with compact florescent. But what else remains? I'd like to see a list of things, that way I can do them all and check them off one by one as I accomplish them. Here's what I have so far:


1. Attic foil, or radiant barrier

2. New energy efficient windows

3. Going around the inside and outside of the house and sealing off all cracks that let air out. (but with what? Spray foam? Silicon?)

4. More vents under the roof overhang, outside the house. Where the roof hangs over the walls, some people put little vents in there. Does this really help?

5 ???


I'd like to see other things that I can do.

Those vents in the soffett help get air to flow through the attic. Since you installed a radiant barrier (nice job) you should have also installed a way to vent the hot air that gets trapped above the barrier but below the roof itself. Some people put in roof vents or fans that pull out the hot air. I installed two fans that each run off of a 10 watt solar pv. Between the barrier and fans it dropped my attic temp almost 30 F.

Other areas to reduce your electric footprint is to install more efficient lighting. That is either CLF or LED. Get rid of those regular fluorescent and incandescent and you will save a lot of money.

Another way is to keep your thermostat at 78 in the summer and 72 in the winter. Every 2 degrees different can save hundreds of dollars per year.

You mentioned your appliances as being energy efficient. How about your air conditioner. What Seer is it?

Your water heater is also a big energy user. While I went to a solar water heater (which works great) it can be expensive and is not for everyone. But I can tell you that with an 80 gallon tank I have yet to run out of hot water even with a couple of days of cloudy weather. (it does have a small electric heating coil as a back up).

Between the more efficient lighting, radiant barrier, solar water heater and more efficient air conditioner I have reduced my electric bill almost $200 per month.

[Sunking]

Spray foam the underide or your roof deck will give you the most bang for your buck.

[peakbagger]

Get an energy audit. Most auditors have software that look at specific improvements and determine the upgrades with the best payback as the payback will vary depending on location.

Energy efficient windows rarely have pay back, if the windows need replacing for other reasons, there is payback in going with more efficient windows.

Attic ventilation can be important and soffits vents are part of proper attic ventilation. Depends where your roof insulation is. Radiant barrier helps down south but not as much up north.

The energy audit will use a blower door, which depressurizes the house, it makes finding cracks and air leaks much easier, just be careful you can make a house too "tight" and then need to invest in an air to air heat exchanger.

I have found with many house the insulation practices around window frames is usually a big opportunity. Builders rarely do a good job. It requires removal of the interior window trim but inevitably I find major gaps in insulation around the window. If you do go this route it is important to use minimal expanding foam (Great Stuff has one variety that works well). If you use the regular foam, the window frames bow in and they will then be hard to open or close. If you have an older home with sash weights, you can have the windows retrofitted to get rid of them as sash weight pockets are usually a major leakage point.

Up north, if you have basement, insulating the walls and floors makes a big difference.

If you cant go solar hot water, heat pump water heaters or retrofits cuts your water heating costs by two thirds.

By the way energy savings are not cumulative, its the law of diminishing returns eventually. A good energy auditor should be able to identify what works the best for your situation and has the fastest payback. Check with your utility, frequently they subsidize the costs of an audit.

[Wy_White_Wolf]

Some people are really suprised where the biggest returns are in conservation. Take a look at the half program on Gary's site. http://www.builditsolar.com/

WWW

[green]

Don't forget your outdoor lighting. I had an old low voltage system with large halogen bulbs that I didn't realize how much energy they were using until my eyes were opened by this site and others. I replaced the antiquated fixture with new LED fixtures so I'm now using about 25% of the electricity then I was before. Also look into lower energy alternatives for your flood lights in the driveway and outdoor lighting by your doors.

[Sunking]

Don't forget your outdoor lighting. I had an old low voltage system with large halogen bulbs that I didn't realize how much energy they were using until my eyes were opened by this site and others. I replaced the antiquated fixture with new LED fixtures so I'm now using about 25% of the electricity then I was before. Also look into lower energy alternatives for your flood lights in the driveway and outdoor lighting by your doors.

Green that may or may not be true. LED especially ones use in cheap outdoor light efficiency is not very good. Efficiency is measured in Lumens per Watt. You may be using less wattage but likely lost a lot of light.

Even the best LED indoor lighting is no better than CFL, and not even close to T5 Florescent at 105 to 110 L/W. For outdoor lighting nothing beats Low Pressure Sodium @ around 200 L/W.

[Photonfanatic]

You mentioned your appliances as being energy efficient. How about your air conditioner. What Seer is it?

I have never heard of "Seer" when it comes to AC units. I can tell you that it looks to be the original one that came with the house in 1983. So its probably a gas guzzler. I would replace it with a much more efficient modern one, if it didn't still work, and the new ones weren't well over $5,000 for a good one. As for the attic foil, I haven't actually put it up yet. A storm recently came through town and killed my roof.

The insurance company has sent me a check to cover the cost of a new roof. They check is for about $10,000. The house is 2,300 square feet. I was thinking of having them lay the attic foil down under the shingles. Or under the tar paper, whichever they're supposed to do. Would that be a better idea? I've heard of some people doing that.

[Sunking]

I have never heard of "Seer" when it comes to AC units.

It is one of the most important ratings of an air conditioner unit and has been pounded into consumer heads for the last 30 years.

To get an idea of what it means the formula for what your air conditioners use is Watts = BTU / SEER

The insurance company has sent me a check to cover the cost of a new roof. They check is for about $10,000. The house is 2,300 square feet. I was thinking of having them lay the attic foil down under the shingles.

Huh? It does not go under the shingles. It goes inside your attic on the back of the roof decking. A better application is on 1 inch foam boards (similar to sheetrock) attached to the roof trusses supporting the roof decking.

[green]

Green that may or may not be true. LED especially ones use in cheap outdoor light efficiency is not very good. Efficiency is measured in Lumens per Watt. You may be using less wattage but likely lost a lot of light.

Even the best LED indoor lighting is no better than CFL, and not even close to T5 Florescent at 105 to 110 L/W. For outdoor lighting nothing beats Low Pressure Sodium @ around 200 L/W.

That is true, I did give up a lot of light output. I still have plenty of light though, what I had before was just overkill.

My point was that a lot of people run outdoor lighting without giving much thought to how much power it is using.

[Photonfanatic]

It is one of the most important ratings of an air conditioner unit and has been pounded into consumer heads for the last 30 years.

To get an idea of what it means the formula for what your air conditioners use is Watts = BTU / SEER




Huh? It does not go under the shingles. It goes inside your attic on the back of the roof decking. A better application is on 1 inch foam boards (similar to sheetrock) attached to the roof trusses supporting the roof decking.

According to Attic Foil, (the company) a good use of it is under the shingles, when you're having your roof redone. Much easier installation. Not sure if its under the tar paper or where exactly. But they do it when they do your roof. As per their youtube videos.

[SunEagle]

Green that may or may not be true. LED especially ones use in cheap outdoor light efficiency is not very good. Efficiency is measured in Lumens per Watt. You may be using less wattage but likely lost a lot of light.

Even the best LED indoor lighting is no better than CFL, and not even close to T5 Florescent at 105 to 110 L/W. For outdoor lighting nothing beats Low Pressure Sodium @ around 200 L/W.

Did you see that the DOE will be investing in LED outdoor lighting for it's facilities. They haven't made the leap to inside but they are beginning to see it's uses instead of the HID outside lights.

[russ]

According to Attic Foil, (the company) a good use of it is under the shingles, when you're having your roof redone. Much easier installation. Not sure if its under the tar paper or where exactly. But they do it when they do your roof. As per their youtube videos.

Actually that is an improper installation - the foil should not contact the roofing - better under the rafters

[Photonfanatic]

Its odd that such a big company (when it comes to aluminum heat barriers) would recommend an improper installation of their product. They're one of the premier ones out there.

[SunEagle]

Actually that is an improper installation - the foil should not contact the roofing - better under the rafters

That is how my radiant barrier is installed. It is stapled to the rafters which creates an air gap between it and the underside of the roof. It is open just about 12 inches at the roof peak which forces the hot air to rise where it is sucked out by two fans near the peak. It really does drop the temperature down to the 80's where it had been over 110 before the barrier was installed.